Centre for Law Enforcement Education in Nigeria (CLEEN), a non-governmental agency, has said that to ensure effective legislation and efficient implementation of criminal justice in Nigeria, there must be a change of attitude.
Gad Peter, executive director of the Foundation, stated this in his welcome address at a two-day training of trainers capacity building for “Implementation of Criminal Justice Legislation” held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to him, the Foundation is more concerned with compliance and robust implementation of the provisions of law, thus, that prompted CLEEN Foundation to conduct training for law enforcement officers to change the narrative.
He says the Foundation is committed to bringing our justice system in line with the dictates of international best practices in dealing with suspects and the protection of their rights as accused persons.
Peter expressed optimism that the intervention by CLEEN Foundation will contribute robustly towards strengthening and enhancing the accountability of Justice Sector Actors to execute their mandate in a professional, transparent and just manner.
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He added that it will also rid the focal states and Nigeria of judicial-enabled corruption, and urged everyone in the room to fully support this project by constantly reporting compliance gap with ACJA provisions using the uwazi web platform.
Chigozirim Okoro, CLEEN programme Manager, submitted that the essence of the training is to interrogate compliance, implementation and strengthen collaboration among key players to move the country forward.
She observed that natural disaster and socio-economic challenges pervade all sectors of the economy, adding that the resultant effects are weak institutions and impunity.
“The motive of this gathering is to remind stakeholders on the rules, deliberate on issues and proffer solution to challenges of implementation of law and order. We have to think outside the box.
“The core objectives of Administration of Criminal Justice Acts (ACJA) as found as in Section 1 of the Act are to promote efficient management of criminal justice institution, provide speedy dispensation of justice and protect the society from crime,” she said.
Gbemisola Animasaun, from Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies University of Ilorin in his remarks noted that fundamental problem we have in this country is lack of knowledge and to address all predicaments in Nigeria; “We need to upscale our knowledge. There is the need for training and retraining to update our knowledge and we should be seeking knowledge regularly for us to be empowered morally and economically.”
Stakeholders from the Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Police, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ/NAWOJ) among others participated in the trading.
